The Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff says Pakistan’s attacks on Afghan territory are “unacceptable” and that none of these attacks have gone unanswered so far. Fasihuddin Fitrat made the remarks on Monday during a press conference.
Fitrat criticized the Pakistani government, describing it as “brutal,” and said that Islamabad targets residential areas under the pretext of the presence of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He added that these attacks have resulted in civilian deaths and injuries.
The Taliban army chief also claimed that the TTP and other armed groups opposed to Pakistan are not present in Afghanistan. According to him, the Taliban do not allow any group to conduct military activities or use Afghan territory against other countries.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of providing shelter and support to the TTP, but the Taliban have consistently rejected the allegations. Taliban officials maintain that Islamabad should address its security challenges within Pakistan and should not attribute responsibility for attacks by the group to Afghanistan.
In recent months, amid rising tensions between the two sides, Pakistan has carried out several airstrikes targeting border areas and parts of Afghan territory. The United Nations has also confirmed the deaths of dozens of civilians in some of these strikes.
Pakistani officials say the attacks were carried out in a “precise and targeted” manner, aimed at TTP hideouts and other armed groups opposed to Pakistan.
The Taliban have also repeatedly announced retaliatory actions following these strikes. In recent months, the group has claimed that it used drones to target several Pakistani military facilities. The Pakistani military has confirmed, in some cases, the entry of drones from Afghan territory into its airspace, but has so far not released reports on possible casualties or damage resulting from these attacks.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
